Continuous feed printing strip material caster



A. J. SITTON 2,947,044

5 Sheets-Sheet 1 CONTINUOUS FEED PRINTING STRIP MATERIAL CASTER m m w NN I w h s J. w u 0% D I m a Y B 3Q o\\ 0 d vm *m I 0 O Q n 3E Aug. 2,1960 Filed May 20. 1952 ATTORNEY i Aug. 2, 1960 A. J. SITTON 2,947,044CONTINUOUS FEED PRINTING STRIP MATERIAL CASTER i Filed May 20, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 3 Q: M i

o. k Y m Y INVENTOR ANDREW J. SITTON ATTORNEY Aug. 2, 1960 Filed May 20,1952 J. SIT T ON CONTINUOUS FEED PRINTING STRIP MATERIAL CASTER 5Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEY g- 1960 A. J. SITTON 2,947,044

CONTINUOUS FEED PRINTING STRIP MATERIAL CASTER Filed May 20, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG. l4. #3 419E946, I lo /6 0 w "7",;2 FIG. l3. 5%

INVENTOR ANDREW J. SITTON ATTORNEY i e tat The present invention relatesto improvements in a continuous feed printing strip material caster andhas for an object the provisionof a device of this-kind in which themolten metal is fed continuously and without interruption to themold orcasting chamber.

l-Iere't'ofore the molten metal has been fed intermitf tently to-themold, for example, byfthe plunger-and-well system. One of. the .maindisadvantages of this inter-,1 mittent feeding is the formation in theincoming molten mater'ial'of'the swirl that is the crescent-shapedmarkings on astrip-niaterial'cast'on machines using. the intermittentfeed'system. The.swi rl is caused 'by the intermittent actionof theplunger forcing molten metal into the mold against'the metal previouslyforced in by a former stroke of the plunger. The swir or crescentshapedmarkingsleave the bas'e side of the material imperfect and frequentlythe .side known as the face or printing surface. During the castingoperation of :the

prior art machinesthe strip is cast upside, down, that is,

with the face that islater to be used asthe printing face lowermost inorder to prevent as-much "aspo ssible the formation ofthe swirl ontheprinting face. As the strip is moved through the machine to thereceiving tray the printing face which is lowermost is dragged overother parts of the'machine and the printing face of the; .finishedproduct is frequentlydefaced andis'thus rendered inefiicient orwhollyunfit for use as a printing face.

It is-one of the objects of the present invention to overcome thesedisadvantages of the prior. art and to eliminate undesirable resultsflowing therefrom by providing a caster capable of evenlyandcontinuously forcing constantly high pressured molten metal intothecasting chamber and thereby eliminate the swir. The elimination ofthe swirl fromthe molten metal permits thestrip to be cast withits'printing face uppermost and the delivering of the strip to thereceiving tray in this position thereby removing the possibility of theprinting face becoming marred during its travel through the machine. 7

Another object of the present invention to provide a device of thischaracter in which the'strip or slug has formed on its opposite sidefaces diagonalserrations which serve a dual purpose, namely, to .keepthestrip snug against the side of the receiving tray while being pulledfrom the mld andduring subsequent printing operations to prevent the;accidental sliding movement of the slugs on adjacent slugsor onanadjacent printingmemb'er causing whatistechnically known in the trade asworkups. I i. 1

A still further object of the present invention is to provide animproved strip inatefiatcaster -in which the slugs are formed withrecesses ori the opposite ,side faces thereof. toredu'ce the weightofthe slugs and to effect saving in the amount of materialbeing used.The present invention aims toprovide a device of this typeiinto whichmeans are.incorporat ed for cutting the strti'p into slugs of thedesiredlength and which'ineans Z a is automatically brought into it is movedthrough the device.

The present invention also aims to provide a device of this characterwhich is adapted to be an addition to or attachment for a line-castingmachine.

The present invention contemplates the provision of a strip materialcasterwhich comprises relatively few parts and can be sold at a pricewithin the ability of small printing concerns to pay.

With theforegoing and other objects in view, the invention will behereinafter more fully described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims. 7

In the drawings in which the same parts are denoted by the samereference numerals throughout the several views,

Figure l is a top plan view with parts broken away of an improvedcontinuous feed printing strip material caster constructed in accordancewith the present invention and illustrated as applied to a line-castingmachine,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of the same,

Figure 3 is a'sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2,

Figured is an exploded perspective view of the mold with parts insection and with parts broken away,

Figure 6 is a sectional view taken on the line =6--6 of Figure 5,

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 2, 7

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 6 but showing modified-forms ofspacers, V

vFigur e 9 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view of the oilreservoir showing the control valve therefor, v

Figure 10 is a perspective view of a slug made by the use of the spacersshown in Figures 5 and 6,

Figure 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of a slug made bythe use of the spacers illustrated in Figure 8,

Figures 12 and 13 are enlarged fragmentary top plan views of the pushermechanism with parts in section and with parts'broken away and showingdifferent positions of the pusher mechanism, and I Figure 14 is anenlarged fragmentary top plan view of a modified form of pushermechanism operating device.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 10 indicates a pot of aconventional line-casting machine for containing the molten metalmixture 11 from which the strip material is 'to be cast. A tubularhousing 12 extends into the mixture 11 and has its lower end adja- 'centto the bottom of the pot 10. The upper end portion of the housing 12extends'upwardly above the upper edge of the pot 10 and has its externalsurface screw threaded as indicated at 13 to' be received by the screwthreaded. portion of a molten metal shell 14. The shell 14 may be madein two half sections which. may be secured together by bolts 15 or thelike and has an outwardly projecting shelf-like portion 16. The shell 14rests upon the upper edge of the pot 10 and may be secured thereto inany suitable manner. The inner face of the shell at the upper end of itsscrew threaded por tion has a downwardly facing shoulder 17 whichengages the'upper edge of the housing 12 to limit its insertion into theshell.

The shell 14. has a through vertically extending bore 18, the lowerendportion of which accommodates the threaded portion 13 of the housing12 and the remaining portion of which-provides a chamber or space forreceiving the molten. metal mixture from the pot 10. In

order to lift the mixture from the pot into the chamber: of the shell 14a helicoid screw 19 isrotatably mounted c v p 2,947,044

operation by the strip as 3 within the housing 12 and has a suflicientlytight fit with the inner surface of the housing to prevent the moltenmixture from falling between the inner surface of the housing and theperipheral edges of the screw 19 and.

yet permit free rotation of the screw. An inlet opening 20 is formed inthe housing 12- adjacent the lower end thereof for permitting themixture 11 to enter the housing to be engaged and raised by the screw19.

The screw 19 has a smooth surfaced shaft portion 19a which extendsupwardly through the shell 14 and through a gear casing 21 having a'neck 22 depending from its bottom 23. An annular flange 24 extendsoutwardly from the lower edge of the neck 22 and seats upon the uppersurface of the shell 14 to which it may be secured by screws 240 or thelike. 'A liquid seal bearing 25 which may be in the form of a plugsurrounds the intermediate part of the shaft portion 19a of the screwand extends through an opening formed in the bottom 23 and the neck 22of the gear casing to seal off the bore 18 of the shell 14 from theinterior of the casing 21. The bearing 25 has an enlarged head 26 whichengages the area of the bottom 23 of the casing which surrounds theopening of the bottom to help retain the bearing in position.

The upper end portion ofthe shaft 19a of the screw. 19 extends throughand beyond a bearing 27 carried by the top 28 of the gear casing. Theupper end portion of the shaft 19a is screw threaded to receive a lockwasher 29 and a nut 30 for mounting the screw on the top 28 of the gearcasing. The top 28 may be removably secured to the gear casing by screwsor in' any other suitable manner. A worm gear 31 is mountedon the shaft19a within the casing 21 for rotation with the screw 19 and meshes witha worm 32 fixed on the inner end portion of a drive shaft 33 which isrotatably supported by strap bearings 34 mounted within the gear casing21 and secured to the bottom 23 thereof by screws.

35 or the like. a suitable opening in the outer side wall of the gearcasing and has secured to its extended portion a pulley wheel 36 whichreceives a belt 37. The belt 37 may be trained about a pulley wheel, notshown, which may be rotated by any suitable source of power. 7

The outer side wall of the shell 14 has an outlet opening 33 which is inregistry with an inlet opening 39 provided by cooperating recesses 40formed in locking members 41 adjacent the shell which comprise part of amold generally indicated at A and, the recesses 40 of the lockingmembers at the opposite end of the mold form an outlet 39a. In additionto the locking members 41 the mold comprises two half sections 42, apair of side spacers 43, a top spacer 44, a pair of binding strips 45,wing bolts 46, nuts 47 and retaining screws 48. Each half section 42has'a longitudinally extending dovetail groove 49 disposed intermediateits upper and lower face and a longitudinally extending recess 50 spacedfrom and above the dovetail groove 49. Eacrecess 50 has substantiallyhorizontally extending upper and lower walls and an upwardly andinwardly inclined side wall. inwardly of the lower portion of thedovetail groove 49 each half section of the mold has a longitudinallyextending ledge 51.

The shaft 33 extends outwardly through The intermediate portion of eachlocking member 41 will be coextensive with the upper face of its ledge51.:

The formation of the dovetail grooves 49. and the recesses 59 provide anintermediate space between the half sections and this space ismaintained when the half sections are assembled by the opposed. faces.of the un- 'to tightly bind the side spacers 43 in position.

4 grooved portions of the half sections above and below the grooves andrecesses abutting one another. One of the half sections 42 is providedwith a longitudinally extending tongue or rib 54 adjacent its upper andlower face and the other half section has correspondingly shaped andlocated grooves 55 for receiving the ribs 54.

Each side spacer 43 is elongated and has a dovetail portion 43:: adaptedto be received by the dovetail groove of one of the half sections of themold and a base portion 43b. The binding strips 45 are of elongated ilatshape and; are adapted'to be received by the dovetail grooves 49 ofthemold half sections in order A series of side spacers may be providedhaving base portions 43b of different thicknesses to determine the widthof the space 56 between the bases of opposed side spacers. This space 56determines the thickness of the finished slug. The top spacer 44 iselongated and has its opposite sides inclined upwardly and inwardly andits upper and lower faces flat to conform to the shape of the recesses50.

The upper and lower faces of each half section 42 adjacent its oppositeends are provided'with cooperating sockets 57 for receiving the wingbolts 46 each of which may comprise an oblong shaped body portion 46aand of each wing bolt adjacent the opposite ends thereof.

Inward-1y of the sockets 57 the mold half sections are provided withscrew threaded recesses 58 which open into the sockets 57 and are inalignment with through openings 59 and 60 formed in the mold halfsections outwardly of the sockets 57 and in the locking members 41 whenthe parts are in assembled relation. The retaining screws 48 extendthrough the aligned openings 59 and 60 and have their screw threaded endportions 48a received by the threaded recesses 58 of, the mold halfsections. The'heads 48b of the screws 48 engage the outer faces of thelocking members 41 to retain the locking members in position.

The conventional well 6 1 for indicating that the mixture in the mold Ais being maintained at the proper temperatures as it moves through themold may be formed by cutting away the intermediate inner edge portionof the upper face of each mold half section. The rear end portion of theledges 51 of the mold sections are inclined upwardly and rearwardlytowards the mold inlet 39 as indicated at 62 in Figure 3 of thedrawings. The rear end portion of the mold A engages the upper face ofthe shelf 16- of the shell 14 and the rear faces of the locking membersabut the outer face of the outer side wall of the shell. The remainderof the lower surface of the mold rests upon a base 63 which may form apart of a conventional line-casting machine.

The outer end portion of the shaft 33 is rotatably mounted'in thevertical flange of a bracket 64 which may be of angle iron shape incross section and the horizontal flange of which may be secured byscrews 65 or the like to a support 65 carried by the base 63. Aremovable bearing 64a maybe secured to the bracket 64 by screws 6411 orthe like for retaining the shaft 33 on the bracket 64.

A pinion 67 is fixed to the shaft 33 between the pulley 36 and thevertical flange of the bracket 64. The pinion meshes with a gear wheel68 fixed to one end of'a worm 69. the opposite end portions of which arerotatably supported by the vertical flanges of the bracket 64 and of asecond bracket 70 which is similar to the bracket 64 and may also besecured to the support 65 by screws 71 or the like. The worm 69 is inmesh with worm wheels 72 fixed to shafts 73 of driven puller or feedingrollers 74. The shafts 73' are rotatably supported by plates 75which-are carried by the-brackets 64 and 70.

Two idler rollers '16. are adjustably' and rotatably mounted in abracket 77 for cooperating with the driven rollers 73 to form twopairsof rollers for moving the strip material through the machine. Therollers 73 and 76 have spiral ridges 73a and 76a formed thereon. Thebracket 77 is substantially L-shaped and may be fixed to the support 65by screws 78 or' the like which extend through a foot 79 of the bracket.Each of the rollers 76 has a stub axle 80 extending from one end thereofto be rotatably and slidably received by an elongated slot 81 formed inthe horizontal flange of the bracket has a neck 87 ofreduceddiameter'which extends loosely through a suitable opening 88 ofthe vertical flange of the slide 83 and has a head89 cooperating with ashoulder 90 formed by the provision of the neck 87 for-attaching thescrew 84 to the slide 83. A finger piece 91 is formed on the end; of thescrew 84 opposite to the head 89.

A reservoir 92 for containing a supply of oilvtobe added to the moltenmixture 11 as it enters the mold A is secured bya bracket 93 to the gearcasing 21 by screws 94 or the like. One end of a pipe 95 communicateswith an opening 96forrn'ed in the bottom of the reservoir 92 and theopposite' end portion of the pipe extends through an opening 97 providedinthe top of the mold A. The

-flow of the oil from. the reservoir to the mold is controlled by avalve 98 in cooperation with the sides of the opening96..

A stem 99 has its lower end attached to the valve 9 8 and extendsupwardly through. the top of the reservoir and an apertured boss 100carried by the .top of the.

The upper 'end portion-:ofthe ,valve: stem is reservoir. 7 screwthreaded as'indicated at 101 and the wall "of the aperturein the boss isalso screw threaded to cooperate with the threaded portion of the stemto retain the valve in any adjusted position. A hand wheel-102 isattached to the upper end of the stem for. facilitating turning of thestem to adjust the valve and 103' indicates a collar interposed betweenthe boss 100 and the hand wheel 102.

A slug receiving tray 104 is supported by a substanthe member 123 forreceiving a guide pin'1'36 carried tially triangularly shapedbracketgenerally indicated at 105 which comprises a pair oflongitudinally extending arms 106, a pair of vertical legs 107, a pairof diagonal struts 108 and a pair of vertical braces 109. The arms 106may be of angle iron formation in cross section, as best shown in'Figure4 of the drawings and have their horizontal flanges secured to theunder face of the bottom 110 of the tray by rivets 111 or the likeadjacent oppositeside edges of the tray. The outer end portion of eachstrut 108 maybe enlarged and flattened as indicated at 112, as shown inFigure Z of the drawings, and may be secured to the inner face of thevertical flange of its arm 106 by rivets 113 or the like.

The upper end portions of the braces 109 may be secured by rivets 114 orthe like to the intermediate portions of the vertical flanges of thearms 106 and the lower end portions of the braces may be secured byrivets 1.15 or the like to the intermediate portions of the struts:

108. The upper end portions of the legs 107 may be secured to the innerend-portions of the vertical flanges of the arms 106 by rivets'116 orthe like and the lower endportions of the legs maybe secured to theinner I end portions of the struts by rivets 117 or the like. The

legs 107 may be secured by any suitable means to the base 63 and to theother members of a: conventional type line-casting machine which areindicated generally at 118. The tray 104 has its inner end open and isdisposed sorthat the open end, of the tray is "adjacent to the rollers73 and 76 and has one side portion of its open end in line with the nipof the rollers when nip is in turn; ad-

jacent to and in linewith the outlet 39a of the mold. The outer end ofthe tray is closed by'an end wall 119 and is provided with side walls120 and 121. The side wall 121 isadjacent that portion of the open endof the tray which is in alignment with the nip of the rollers and hasmounted thereon. a slug pusher mechanism generally indicated at 122. V

' The slug pusher mechanism comprises a pusher member 123, a bracket124, a coil spring" 125 and a pair of links 126 and 127. As is shown inFigure 4, the member 123 is L-shaped and its vertical flange issubstantially parallel to the side 121 of the tray and itshorizontalflange is slidingly supported by a flange 128 which extends outwardlyfrom the upper edge of the side 12 1 of the tray. The outer end portionof the verticalflange of the member 123 is bent inwardly to forman'abutment or cam 123a. Y

The bracket 124 maybe securedto the flange 128 by rivets 129 or the likeand has'an upstanding apertured abutment 130; The outer end portion ofthe horizontalv flange of the member 123 is bent atan angle of theorder} offorty-five degrees to the longitudinal: axis of the trayand'has an upstanding apertured lug" 131. 'The spring" 125 isconfinedbetween the abutment 130 and thelug' 131 and the opposite ends of thespring extend through the apertures in the abutment and lug and may bepeened -over to anchor the spring thereto. The link 126 is'piv otallyconnected adjacent one end asat 132 to the inner 'end portion of thehorizontal flange of the member 123 and the link-127 is pivotallyconnected adjacent one end as at 133 to theflange 128.' The oppositeends of the links 126 and127 are pivotally connected together as" at134. A'slot 135 is formed in the horizontalflange of For the purpose ofcutting'the strip material into slugs of the desired length after it hasbeenreceived by the I tray 104 a cutting mechanism generally indicatedat 137 is mounted to operate across the open end of the tray.

The cutting mechanism comprises a cutter blade 138 detachably mounted byscrews 139 or the like on 'a cutter slide 140 which is mounted forreciprocating movement in a guide frame 141 attached by screws 142 ofthe like to a supporting member 143 of the line-casting machine. I

A solenoid 144 is mounted on the member 143 in any suitablemanner andits core 145 is attached to the cutter slide. The solenoid may beconnected by wires 146 to a breaker switch 147 which may be of theconventional type having a lever 148 normallyspring urged to the oflposition of the switchwhich maybe mounted in any suitable manner on theouter end portion of the tray 104 with the lever 148 disposed in thepath of the strip material being fed into the tray. l

The side wall 121 and the flange 128 of the tray 104 are continuedinwardly beyond the open end'of the: tray as indicated at 121a and 128aand an upstanding abutment'149 is mounted on the portion 128a of theflange 128. One end of a coil spring 150 is attached to this abutment asby welding or the like and the opposite end a of the spring is receivedby a recess 151 formed in the slide 140 to which it may be secured inany suitable manner. A slot 152 is formed in the side 121 of the tray toaccommodate the end of the cutter blade 138 during the cuttingoperation. V I v v In Figure 8 of the drawings a modified form of sidespacer 43 is' shown in'which the base portion 43b of each spaceris'provided with longitudinally extending ribs 153. It will be notedthat the ribs of one spacer are vertically staggered 'With' respect tothe ribs on the other spacer so that when this type of spaceris'used thefinished'slu'g' 154 illustrated in Figure 11 of the drawings will haverecesses 155 on one side thereof and recesses 156 formed I on theopposite side thereof. The recesses 155' and 156 are verticallystaggered with respect to each'other. .The

p ov sion o e' e e s sl flec a s y n n. he moun of. ma r a he eby r du ne tq p ducont nd e-amq nt f mate a nec ss y q e k p -tie up. Theformation; of the recesses will also reduce the weight; of; each slugfrom about five percent to thirty per ent- T s edu ion w h s. ery mp tat since each slng comprises about eighty-five percent lead which isextremely heavy and it is necessary for a. workman to h ndle a arge n mer of e e slugs t one e. o oyer, theproyision of'the; recesses. 1 55'and- 156 will insure against the possibility of work-ups during theprintingoperations. a

As illustrated in Figure 8 of the drawings, the, top pacer may be,provided with. a, longitudinally substantially centrally disposed groove44a in, its lower face for forminga rib.157.- on thetupper. face of theslug 154 shown in. Figure 11. of the drawings; The grooved top spacerwill be used for making a rule slug and top spacersv hav-.,

inggrooves 4400f different widths may be provided. An ungrooved topspacer as shown in Figure 6 of the drawings may. be used with the sidespacers of Figure 8 if desired. By the use of the spacers of Figure 6 ofthe drawings, a, slug 158. illustrated in Figure 10 will be produced.The spiral ridges. 73a. and 76a of the rollers 74 and 76 will. formdiagonal serrations or grooves 159 on each side of the slugs 154 and158.

In the operation of the device, assuming that the proper moltenmetalrnixture is placed in the pot-10, the operator will energizethesource of power for driving. the shaft 33.

whichwill; cause rotation of thescrew 1S v to lift the mixture from thepot and force it continually without interruption under a'constanthighpressure into the mold A. A previously produced: slug will be forcedbetween the rollers 74.. and76 and throughthe outlet 39a of the moldinto the mold so that the gradually solidifying mixture in.

the mold will attach itself to the adjacent end of the insertedpreviously formed slug.

The shaft 33 through the gearing 67, 68, 72 will rotate the powerrollers 74. which in cooperation with the idler rollers 76 will draw thepreviouslyformed slug and the newly formed strip, of material from themold and will deliver it to the receiving tray 104. The strip ofmaterial 158 will be moved longitudinally of the tray in engagement withthe vertical flange of the member 123 which is urged by the spring 125inwardly of the tray to the position shown in Figure 12- ofthe drawingsso that the cam 123a is disposed in the path of movement of the strip-158; As the stripv 158; moves into the tray the free end thereof willengage the cam 123a to move it out of the path of the strip and move themember 123 against the action of the spring 125 to the position shown inFigure 13 of the drawings. The strip158 is then free to continue itsmovement until the end of the strip engages the lever 148 of the switchto move the lever to the on position ofthe switch. This will close thecircuit to the solenoid 144 and thereby cause movement of the core 145.This movement of the core 145 will cause the cutter blade 138 to severthe strip adjacent the open end of the tray. At this time the pushermember 123 under the influence of the spring 125, will be moved inwardlyof the tray to cause the cam 12311 to engage the severed slug to move ittowards the center of the tray and out of engagement with the lever 148which under the influence of its spring will return .to the off positionof the switch breaker 147. This will cause de-energization of thesolenoid 14,4 and the cutter blade 138. and the'core 145 of the solenoidwill be returned to their original inoperative position under theinfluence of the spring 150'. The severed end. portionof the strip'willengage the cam 123a of the pusher member 123, as described above, andforce it laterally against the side 121 of the tray' and outwardlytobuild up the'resistance of the spring 125 for the next pusher actionof the member 123;

vThelend'of the strip material will again trip the switch lever 148 andthe cycle of operation will be'repeated as ing face, of; the sluguppermost. A block or bar of lead; or the like may be positioned uponthe bottom.

" 110 of the tray to support the severed slugs; in vertical positionwith the tray until the operator desires to. remove the slugs from thetray.

The mold A may be disassembled for the purpose of inserting differentsized or shapedv side spacers 43. and

top spacer 44. by loosening the retaining screws 48' and the nuts 47 andremoving the outermost locking members 41 adjacent to the rollers. Afterthe desired spacers have. been inserted in the mold the. mold will bereassembledand it will be noted that the inner ends of the spacers 43and 44 and the binding strips 45 will engage the overlying portions ofthe locking members 41- which are adjacent to the shell 14 to limittheir insertion into the mold. Afterthe locking members attheoppositeend of the mold have been secured'in position they will engagethe outer ends of the spacers and bindingstrips to prevent accidentalmovement of; the spacers and bind ing strips-from the mold,

The idler rollers 76 may be adjusted towards and from the driven rollers74 by turning the adjusting screw 84in the proper direction to moyetheslide 83. This adjustment'will compensate for the thickness of'the baseportions 43a of the spacers 43 and also for any wear of the rollerswhich may take place. i V

The required helicoid shaft rpm. is variedaccording to the size ofmaterial being cast, and also according to the speed at which thematerial ispulled from the mold; or casting chamber. The minimum orsafe.helicoid shaft r.p.m. for various sizes of material and/or speedsof delivery is approximately a six-to-one ratio of pressurized moltenmetal i.e., the helicoidshaft is driven by a variable-speed motor to.turn up and deliver approximately six times the molten metal required tocast the strip material. then being pulled from the mold, or castingchamber. The effect is to maintain constant pressure of molten metal inthe helicoid casing and the mold, or casting chamber, in order toeliminate any noticeable flow. The moltenv metal in the helicoid shaftappears to. be sus pendedor, standing still, apparently withoutmovement. The helicoid shaft revolves in the suspended or apparentlynon-moving molten metal the same as, a shaft on a bearing.

The molten metal mixture is maintained at the proper temperature in thepot and in the mold by any conventional type of heating unit employedfor this purpose.

Figure 14 of the drawings illustrates a modified form of pushermechanism operating device. In this 'Figure 14 the samereferencecharacters have been used wherever possible to denote parts which arecommon to both forms of the invention. A coil spring a has its oppositeends seoured'to the abutment and the lug 131. A bell crank levergenerally indicated at is pivotally mounted as at 161 to the flange 128and has a short arm 162 and a long arm 163. The short arm. 162 ispivotally connected as at 164 to the free end of the link 1226, One endof a coil spring 150a is secured to the free end portion of the long arm163 ofthe bell, crank lever and the opposite end of the spring 1594 isreceived by the recess 151 of the slide 140 to which it may be securedin any suitable manner. A bumper 165 'is secured to the slide- 140 byscrews 166 or the like. so that it extends outwardly of the outer edgeof the slide 140. but adjacent to and inwardly of the cutter blade 138.

In theoperation of the form of the pusher mechanism operating device;when the solenoid has bee en rgi the cutter blade 138 will cut the slugnd B 3 h slot 152. .At this time the bumper 165: will engage the longarm 163 of the bell crank lever and swing it in the direction" of thearrow -1;6 7t0. move the short arm 162, the link 1126 and the pushermember 123 in the direction of the arrows 168. This action Will move thecut slug 154 inwardly of the tray, out of the path of the strip ofmaterial 158 and out of engagement with the lever 148 which under theinfluence of its spring will return to the 01f position and the solenoidwill be deenergized. The spring 125a which has been expanded and thespring 150a which has been compressed during the cutting and slugpushing operation as shown in Figure 14 of the drawings will return theslide 140 and the pusher member 1123 to their inoperative positionsready for the next cycle of operation.

It is obvious that various changes and modifications may be made in thedetails of construction and design of the above specifically describedembodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof,such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of thefollowing claims.

What I claim is:

1. An improved continuous feed printing strip material caster comprisinga mold for receiving a molten metal mixture and forming it into a stripmaterial, a tray for receiving the strip material from the mold, cuttingmeans for cutting the strip material into slugs, a solenoid foroperating said cutting means and being normally tie-energized, means forenergizing said solenoid and having a member disposed in the path of thestrip material entering the tray and adapted to be moved by the stripmaterial for energizing the solenoid without deformation of the stripmaterial, whereby the cutting means is operated to sever the stripmaterial to form a slug, means for moving the strip material from themold past the cutting means and into said tray, and pusher means formoving the severed slugs out of the path of the strip material andcomprising a pusher member slidably supported by said tray and having anupstanding lug, an abutment on said tray, a bell crank lever operativelyconnected with said pusher member for moving said pusher member inwardlyagainst a severed slug, means carried by said cutting means foractuating said lever at the end of a cutting operation, means forde-energizing said solenoid, resilient means confined between saidabutment and lug for withdrawing said pusher member from engagement withthe severed slug after the solenoid is de-energized and resilient meansfor returning said cutting means and said lever actuating means to theirinoperative positions after the solenoid is die-energized.

2. An improved continuous feed printing strip material caster comprisinga mold for receiving a molten metal mixture and forming it into a stripmaterial, a tray for receiving the strip material from the mold, cuttingmeans for cutting the strip material-into slugs, a solenoid foroperating said cutting means and being normally de-energized, means forenergizing said solenoid whereby the cutting means is operated to severthe strip material to form a slug, means for moving the strip materialfrom the mold past the cutting means and into said tray, and pushermeans for moving the severed slugs out of the path of the strip materialand comprising a pusher member slidably supported by said tray andhaving an upstanding lug, an abutment on said tray, a bell crank leveroperatively connected with said pusher member for moving said pushermember inwardly against a severed slug, means carried by said cuttingmeans for actuating said lever at the end of a cutting operation,

means for deenergizing said solenoid, resilient means confined betweensaid abutment and lug for withdrawing said pusher member from engagementwith the severed slug after the solenoid is deenergized and resilientmeans for returning said cutting means and said lever actuating means totheir inopertive positions after the solenoid is deenergized.

3. An improved continuous feed printing strip material caster comprisinga mold for receiving a molten metal mixture and forming it into a stripmaterial, a tray for receiving the strip material from the mold, cuttingmeans for cutting the strip material intoslugs, a solenoid for operatingsaid cutting means and being normally deenergized, means for energizingsaid solenoid and having a member disposed in the path of the stripmaterial entering the tray and adapted to be moved by the strip material:for energizing the solenoid without deformation of the strip material,whereby the cutting means is operated to sever the strip material toform a slug, means for moving the strip material from the mold past thecutting means and into said tray, pusher means for moving the severedslugs out of the path of the strip material comprising a pusher memberslidably supported by said tray and having an upstanding lug, anabutment on said tray, resilient means confined between said abutmentand lug for urging said pusher member inwardly against the severed slug,and a pair of links pivotally connected at one end and having theiropposite ends pivotally connected to said tray and pusher memberrespectively, and resilient means for urging said cutter means toinoperative position.

4. A printing strip material caster comprising a mold having arestricted inlet, a pressure chamber communito enter the mold through.the inlet and will return to' the source of mixture supply through themixture moving means, said mixture moving means comprising a helicoidscrew extended into said mixture, a shell surrounding the upper portionof said screw, 2. housing surrounding the lower portion of said screwand supported by said shell, a gear casing mounted on said shell andsupporting said screw, a driven shaft, gearing between said shaft andsaid screw, a mold supported by said shell for receiving the mixturefrom said screw, withdrawal rollers for withdrawing the strip materialfrom the mold, and gearing between said driven shaft and said rollers.

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